Ingredients
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup honey (any type)
1/2 cup port
1/3 cup honey (any type)
1 whole star anise
1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped and pod reserved
1 strip orange zest (2 inches long)
1/2 cinnamon stick
3 plums or Pluots, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
Preparation
Make the honey brittle: Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Bring corn syrup and honey to a boil in a small saucepan, and cook until it registers 300 degrees on a candy thermometer (hard-crack stage). Carefully pour honey mixture onto baking sheet, tilting the sheet to spread mixture into a thin layer. Let cool completely. Break brittle into jagged pieces. (Brittle can be stored for up to 2 weeks.)
Make the roasted plums: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine port, honey, star anise, vanilla seeds and pod, orange zest, and cinnamon stick. Place plums in a small ovenproof pan or baking dish, and pour the port mixture over the top. Roast, basting halfway through, until plums soften and liquid has reduced to a syrup, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack, then discard whole spices.
Beat heavy cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold in mascarpone. Divide plums among 4 bowls. Drizzle each with syrup from pan. Top each with a spoonful of mascarpone cream and a piece of brittle. Serve immediately.
